


forged

by OrangePatrick



Series: CHB AU [4]
Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Demigods, Fluff, Josh is the son of Hephaestus, M/M, Two Shot, Tyler is the son of Thanatos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-24 01:27:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12002055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrangePatrick/pseuds/OrangePatrick
Summary: IMPORTANT: mcd tag is for part 2 only! please feel free to read part 1, which is the fluff. part 2 is completely unnecessary, unless you wanna read something sad.------------------------Tyler keeps his hands in his pockets.Josh doesn't look at Tyler's hands.





	1. metal rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyler is kind of like a ghost.

Tyler keeps his hands in his pockets. Tyler trains alone. Tyler doesn’t join in the group activities.

 

Tyler is kind of like a ghost.

 

When he comes to Camp Half-Blood at age thirteen, he’s ‘claimed’ by a glowing black inverted torch.

 

Tyler’s dad is Thanatos, the god of death. Thanatos doesn’t have a cabin at Camp because Tyler is his only child. So Tyler stays in the Hermes cabin, because Hermes is the god of travelers. Tyler is thirteen and Tyler is homeless, even when he’s at Camp.

 

When he’s fifteen, Tyler moves into the Hades cabin, where he lives alone. He makes sure to keep his hands in his pockets. It doesn’t stop the rumors that spread.

 

When he’s fifteen, Tyler almost accidentally kills someone-- a boy in the Hermes cabin. A boy with a family-- siblings, a mother, a step-father, a godly parent. He touches Tyler, and Tyler almost doesn’t pull away fast enough.

 

The boy lives.

 

The rumors spread.

 

Tyler’s hands are completely black, they say. Tyler’s hands are claws. Tyler’s hands look like a monster’s. Tyler’s hands are those of a drakon. Tyler’s hands are as dark as Nyx.

 

Tyler keeps his hands in his pockets, and Tyler moves into a cabin where there’s no one else to accidentally grab his wrists, and even though he almost killed a boy, he didn’t.

 

Josh knows about the rumors. Josh doesn’t care. Josh is a son of Hephaestus, so he knows what it’s like to get looks. Josh’s dad is the ugly god. Josh’s laugh is obnoxious. Josh’s face is weird. Josh spends too much time in the forge, ignoring everyone else.

 

When Josh is sixteen, Tyler is his only friend.

 

They both are okay with this.

 

When Josh reaches into the ovens to pull out red-hot swords, he gives them to Tyler and doesn’t look at Tyler’s hands. Tyler touches fire and it turns into smoke. It’s an effective process. It makes Josh happy to be more productive. It makes Tyler happy to have something good to do with his gift.

 

Josh doesn’t look at Tyler’s hands. Josh knows the rumors but doesn’t care about them. He can still hug Tyler, and mess with Tyler’s hair, and push Tyler into the lake, and they bump shoulders a lot.

 

Tyler keeps his hands in his pockets.

 

Tyler is seventeen, and Josh is his only friend.

 

Josh is eighteen when he realizes that he is no longer okay with this.

 

He brings Tyler a handful of daisies, the smallest and most delicate, the softest and the brightest. Tyler stares with wide eyes, knowing what it means but also unsure.

 

Tyler takes a hand out of his pocket and gently pulls a single daisy from the group, careful not to touch Josh’s skin. The daisy withers in his palm.

 

Josh stares at Tyler’s hands.

 

Tyler’s hands are completely black. Tyler’s fingers curl into claws at the tips. Tyler’s hands are dark as Nyx, fading out in the skin of his wrists, where his skin goes normal again. Tyler’s hands don’t look like a drakon’s, although they do look like they might be a little monstrous. Mostly they look soft, and delicate, and Josh knows he shouldn’t reach for them, but he wants to.

 

Tyler ducks his head down and kisses Josh on the cheek.

 

“Thank you,” he says.

 

Josh puts the rest in a vase, which goes on the windowsill of Cabin 13, because even Hades loves spring.

 

Next time, he doesn’t pull a flower from the ground: he tinkers and welds and pieces together metal, finally finding something that won’t die when Tyler cradles it in his palms.

 

Tyler loves it. Tyler kisses Josh on the mouth when Josh gives him the metal rose. It makes Josh’s skin feel like it’s on fire, in a good way. When he reaches up to cup Tyler’s face, Tyler shoves his clawed hands into his pockets, almost dropping the rose. He doesn’t want to touch Josh-- no, no. He  _ wants _ to touch Josh. He  _ can’t _ touch Josh.

 

When Tyler is nineteen, he acquires dragonskin gloves. He holds Josh’s face when they kiss. He hugs Josh, and high fives him, and holds his hand. Josh’s smile is like a supernova.

 

Tyler keeps the metal rose in his jacket pocket.


	2. the nemean lion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Please..."

It’s the dead of winter when they’re fresh into their twenties that they sneak into Coney Island together. The amusement park isn’t open in December, so they’re the only ones there. No one sees them. No one notices when the machines start creaking to life, slick with ice. It’s the most fun Tyler has had… ever.

 

Tyler laughs and it sounds like breaking ice. Josh’s breath makes clouds that freeze almost right away. He wants to listen to Tyler laugh forever. He doesn’t care that they’re breaking rules, mortal law, and he doesn’t care that Camp Half-Blood is the only truly safe space for demigods. All he can think about is the way Tyler’s eyes squint when he smiles.

 

They kiss on the top of the Soarin’ Eagle, and then it drops and Tyler feels like he’s flying.

 

Josh is toying with the wires of the Thunderbolt when he hears something moving. Tyler freezes, eyes wide and dark in the stark white winter landscape. Josh rolls to his feet, pressing his arm against Tyler’s.

 

Fifteen feet away, the Nemean lion gleams golden in the sharp December sun. Its impenetrable fur glints and ripples as it settles into a crouch, snarling at the two demigods.

 

Josh has a handful of tinkering tools. Tyler has a metal rose.

 

The Nemean lion leaps.

 

Tyler dives left and Josh, right. The slick ground makes them clumsy; two of the lion’s thick claws pins Tyler’s shoulder, and he howls. Josh acts without thinking, immediately diving toward the lion, clubbing it with a wrench. It gets the monster’s attention, its jaws snapping towards the son of Hephaestus. Josh runs, knowing it’ll be quick to follow. Monsters aren’t smart enough to just take the easiest prey; it’s angry and wants the thing that caused it pain.

 

When it pulls its claws from Tyler’s shoulder, he shudders and gasps, unable to concentrate on anything but the pain. He follows the lion’s movement with hazy eyes, clutching his steadily-bleeding wound. When his brain finally fights the fog of pain, he realizes that Josh doesn’t stand a chance.

 

The lion’s only weak spot is its open mouth. If Tyler can catch a lion by its tongue--

 

He pulls himself to his feet and forces his legs to run, chasing down his boyfriend and the indestructible lion. He knows that if he can just get there-- he knows that if they work together, they can take it down.

 

He doesn’t get there in time. Almost, but not quite. The lion has Josh pinned, its giant claws digging into Josh’s chest. Its jaws drop open as it roars, triumphant and eager to feed on demigod.

 

Fog and ice gather around Tyler’s ankles, building up the faster he runs. When he finally gets within striking range, he lets out a guttural scream, throwing his whole weight against the lion. Caught off-guard, the lion rolls, trapping itself on its back. Tyler grabs its powerful bottom jaw, forcing its mouth open, and touches the lion’s weak, soft mouth. Its gums turn black, its teeth begin to rot, and its muscles slowly go slack.

 

Tyler doesn’t know when he started crying, but the tears are freezing to his cheeks as he kneels over Josh, hands hovering over the nauseating wounds in Josh’s chest.

 

Josh’s eyes look hazy, but they’re still open and moving.

 

“Please,” Tyler whispers.

 

Josh focuses on him, blinking slowly. He’s barely breathing-- it hurts. It feels like the air isn’t even getting to his lungs. His face twists in pain.

 

“No,” Tyler pleads. “Please, please…”

 

“Please,” Josh echos, trying to lift a trembling hand.

 

Choking on a sob, Tyler takes his hand, lacing their fingers together. Josh’s eyes slip closed, and after a moment his chest stills.

 

Tyler sits alone in the middle of Coney Island.

 

It’s December. Tyler is twenty, and Tyler feels like a ghost.


End file.
